Veto

I've been watching the new TLC show '17 and Counting' about the Duggar family. I have seen all the TLC shows on this family and now they have a regular series. While I personally think 17 (soon to be 18) kids is ridiculous, this family makes it look easy. They lead a very simple life - the kids watch very little TV, are only allowed Internet access on a computer that has many 'screening' programs on it. One son married - and he and his bride 'courted'. They did not share their first kiss until their wedding kiss. Their engagement was interesting. He proposed. She said yes. He asked her permission to give her a hug. No kiss. It was odd...but I give them credit for holding to their values and making the decision that's right for them.

They also shop exclusively at thrift shops for clothing and shoes. The kids are home schooled, which makes the peer pressure to 'fit in' non-existent. They don't care what they wear.

They also live completely debt free - even their home (which they built) is paid for. I'm not sure we'll ever be to that point - but they are a good model to keep in mind. It helps that they have some real estate investments that provide income. And the father was also a State Representative and I think he receives a pension of some kind from that. They pay cash for everything - using only cash or their debit cards for every purchase. I like that idea, too.

On last night's episode, they made home-made laundry soap. It involves grating a bar of soap, adding washing soda and hot water, and then adding more water after letting the initial mix sit overnight. They save a lot of money making their own detergent.

Today, we did our monthly Target shop - a bit more pricey since I started to procure things we need for Thanksgiving. AND I have to bring refreshments for a meeting tomorrow so that added a bit to the expense, also. AND I bought a couple small Christmas gifts for the boys - trying to do what I do every year: spread the expense over a couple months. I suggested to J. on the way to the store that we should consider making our own laundry soap. He said (and I quote): 'No. We're not that destitute'. I replied 'it has nothing to do with being destitute. It has to do with being frugal. Your dad would do it in a heartbeat'. We won't. We also won't be making homemade fabric dryer sheets, either. He doesn't veto many things - but he draws the line at keeping a 5 gallon bucket filled with soapy, gel like substance that has to be diluted again before you put it in the washer. He's right, I know. We pay more for convenience - and our laundry soap purchases usually last about 3 months anyway. So it's not like we're going through a ton of soap. The front loading washer helps with that. It's pretty efficient and doesn't use much soap at all.

He did, though, decide that purchasing the Target brand of Citrus Listerine (for $2.79) was a better deal than the name brand, same size for $7.69. Though I do think he will pour the Tar-jay brand into the brand name bottle. Oh well. Little by little. We would normally by Listerine at Costco - but I'm starting to realize that we spend a lot more there then we need to. The sizes are so huge - and while they might be a good deal 'per ounce', sometimes, they really aren't. I don't want to buy close to a gallon (in two bottles) of mouthwash. I just want to buy a small bottle for the bathroom counter - that doesn't look like moonshine. We're really starting to limit our Costco shop to food items, laundry products and paper towels. Most everything else is better priced at Target or Wal-Mart, especially if I have coupons - which I frequently do.

He also agreed to use up some hair products that I have from my long hair days- just various gels, etc. that will get him the slight control he likes. Once those are gone, he'll go back to his Aussie gel.

It was a nice weekend. Weather was absolutely beautiful. Cool but not freezing. Warm but not hot. Clear as a bell.

I worked for a couple hours this afternoon - got one 'to do' off the list which felt good. I feel more motivated lately - just plugging along. Hope that holds true for the next couple weeks, as there is much to do. I've been spending a little time each week organizing some files. Culling out things that I now realize (after two years) I don't need to keep - or don't need to keep multiple copies of. It's helped me feel more 'controlled' and I like that feeling. So there's a lot to be said for attempting to organize and stay that way. I keep a 'work in progress' section of my desk - off to my right - and as I complete things, they get moved to my 'distribute' pile on the other side of the desk. It's helping - things are moving forward and I'm spending less time looking for things. Not perfectly - I still have to look for some things - and most of that appears to be related to just my usually scatter-brained-ness. But in general, it's helping a lot - and I'm hoping that it will soon become a habit.

We awoke this morning to the typical 'winter is coming' invasion of the ants. It was astounding! THOUSANDS OF THEM - yes, really. Making their way into the kitchen sink. Totally attacked the roots of an African Violet I had on the kitchen counter. Sadly, the plant did not survive. There was no way to get all the ants out of the plant - but I saved the pot and will get a new violet soon. It was a mess. I hope they don't come back. It didn't help that a kid (one of two, though no one will own up) left something sweet sitting in the sink overnight. THAT is what attracted them. Ugh. I hate ants. I can still feel them crawling on me. Thankfully, they didn't bite. Human flesh doesn't interest them and they don't sting. They just seek and find - hopefully, not here anymore.

And I had to laugh because three hours after the initial discovery of the invasion - when J. and I had already cleaned them up, gotten rid of most, etc. - B. finally got up and had a fit about the 4 or so ants he saw crawling on the counter. I said 'heck, that's nothing! You should have seen the sink and counter three hours ago'. He wasn't amused - he does not like bugs of any kind. He was freaking out a bit...over just a few. He probably would have passed out had he seen how many were there only hours before. We'll have to be vigilant...I reminded him to NOT leave ANYTHING in the sink that hasn't been rinsed. And to be absolutely sure all food is in the disposer and ground up and rinsed down the drain. That's 1/2 the battle - but there are two teens in this house and they frequently don't do what they need to do. Shocking, I know.